This invention relates generally to layered perovskite superconductors and, more particularly, to substrates on which layered perovskite superconductors are deposited to form high-frequency electronic devices and circuits.
Materials exhibiting superconductivity at temperatures above the advantageous liquid-nitrogen temperature of 77.degree. K were discovered only recently and have triggered a world-wide explosion in scientific and technological research. The first material to exhibit superconductivity above the temperature of liquid nitrogen was an oxygen-depleted layered perovskite compound of yttrium, barium, copper and oxygen, identified by the formula Y.sub.1 Ba.sub.2 Cu.sub.3 O.sub.7. Since this discovery, other similar layered perovskite copper oxide compounds, identified by the formula R.sub.1 Ba.sub.2 Cu.sub.3 O.sub.7, where R is a rare earth element, have also been found to be superconductive at temperatures above the liquid-nitrogen temperature. This particular group of layered perovskite superconductors is commonly referred to as "1-2-3" compounds, because of the number of atoms of each metal element in the copper oxide compound.
Still other layered perovskite copper oxide compounds, with even higher critical temperatures (the temperature at which superconductivity occurs), have been more recently discovered. These newer compounds contain four metallic elements instead of the three metallic elements contained in the "1-2-3" compounds, and they do not contain a rare earth element. In place of the rare earth element, these newer compounds contain metals such as bismuth or thallium.
The major advantage of the layered perovskite superconductors is that superconductive temperatures can be maintained using liquid nitrogen, which is considerably less expensive and troublesome than using liquid helium, as required in the past. Therefore, these superconductors can be expected to find many new applications. One major application already being investigated is integrated circuits, in which thin films of these new superconductors are deposited on substrates to form, for example, Josephson junctions, waveguides and microwave transmission lines. These superconductor circuit elements can be combined to form high-speed, high-frequency and low-power integrated circuits with unparalleled performance.
However, thin films of the layered perovskite superconductors can only be grown with optimal properties on substrates having crystal structures and lattice constants that closely match those of the superconductors. Strontium titanate (SrTiO3) is one such material, and is currently being used as a substrate. Unfortunately, strontium titanate is unsuitable at high frequencies because it is very lossy and has an extremely high dielectric constant at superconductive temperatures. Accordingly, there has been a need for a substrate material having good high frequency characteristics and a crystal structure and lattice constant that closely match the crystal structures and lattice constants of the layered perovskite superconductors. The present invention clearly fulfills this need.